Chapter 8
Here is Chapter 8. The good news is that I spent the weekend changing all of Darcy's gender pronouns. Which means that the rate that I finish chapters should increase somewhat. I should be able to at this point commit to at least one or two chapters a week.
For those who do not know, I edited the first three chapters. Here's what you need to know.
One: Miss Darcy has taken on a more male role as the heir to her estate than Caroline. This explains the differences in what groups they meet with and why Miss Darcy has more social freedom.
Two: Origins of the pro-gay sentiment was delved into a little more thoroughly. Basically the crown prince gave an ultimatum to his parents. Accept my husband or I'm heading to the continent. The royal family accepted them and the Ton followed.
Three: Despite the acceptance societal rules were put in place to govern who could engage in homosexual relations in a government sanctioned manner. This allows for the female heirs to inherit, marry women, and act like one of the guys. All matches needed to be from parties who were financially stable.
Read. Enjoy. Review.
At five o'clock the two ladies retired to dress, and at half-past six Elizabeth was summoned to dinner. To the civil inquiries which then poured in, and amongst which she had the pleasure of distinguishing the much superior solicitude of Mr. Bingley's, she could not make a very favourable answer. Jane was by no means better.
The sisters, on hearing this, repeated three or four times how much they were grieved, how shocking it was to have a bad cold, and how excessively they disliked being ill themselves; and then Mrs. Hurst thought no more of the matter: and her indifference towards Jane when not immediately before her restored Elizabeth to the enjoyment of all her former dislike of the dowdy lady.
The brother and the younger Miss Bingley, indeed, were the only one of the party whom she could regard with any complacency. Their anxiety for Jane was evident; although to Elizabeth, Mr. Bingley demonstrated a deeper attachment. Mr. Bingley repeatedly returned the dinner conversation to the state of the Jane's health. Miss Bingley, on the other hand, engaged in conversations about Jane's illness, but her worry for Miss Jane Bingley warred with her responsibility to be a proper hostess and the inability to express such a deep connection to Jane Bennet in front of her brother.
Despite Caroline's initial determination to include Elizabeth, she had very little notice from any but Mr. Bingley. Even Miss Bingley, who she had been inclined to think well of, spent the meal engrossed in a conversations that both Miss Darcy and Mrs. Hurst introduced in order to distract Caroline from her worry. Elizabeth spent the evening listening to gossip about the London elite, the mountains of Pemberley, and the latest play that had enthralled all of the Ton. And as for Mr. Hurst, by whom Elizabeth sat, he was an indolent man, who lived only to eat, drink, and play at cards; who, when he found her to prefer a plain dish to a ragout, had nothing to say to her.
When dinner was over, she returned directly to Jane, and Miss Hurst began abusing her as soon as she was out of the room. Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and impertinence; she had no conversation, no style, no beauty. Mrs. Hurst finished her dialogue about the country woman with:
"She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild." Mrs. Hurst paused for her sister to contribute to her character assassination.
Miss Bingley starred at the white door separating her from the Bennet women. She tapped her fingers on the tabletop. Caroline had checked out of the conversation as soon as Elizabeth Bennet left the room.
Mrs. Hurst's slightly chubby cheeks fell into a frown. She studied the lines of worry marring her sister's fair skin. Her eyes fell on the ridiculously simplistic upsweep of Caroline's auburn hair. This was not the gentlewoman who Mrs. Hurst had spent the last ten years crafting to perfection. Not the young woman who would solidify a marriage with an influential member of the Ton. The Bennet's had transformed her sister into a no-body. Louisa Hurst hands shook with rage. She continued her diatribe.
"Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its office."
The comments did not gain Caroline's attention. Instead her brother Charles, who was slumped in his chair, cut in. "Your picture may be very exact, Louisa, but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice."
Miss Bingley's blue eyes moved from the intricately carved door to her brother. Caroline's lips pursed with displeasure at the argument about the Bennet's suitability while her Jane was ill. Determined to put a stop to the conversation, Miss Bingley started. "We cannot judge Miss Eliza based on the strict rules of the Ton for our sex, Louisa. Miss Darcy, I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition, but—"
"Certainly not," Darcy said. Darcy paled slightly at the idea of her innocent sixteen-year-old sister wandering the fields of Pemberley alone and unprotected. Unlike Miss Darcy her younger sister had not been trained from birth to inherit the male birthright. Miss Darcy pulled at her cravat. She swallowed heavily.
Mrs. Hurst dove at the negative turn of the conversation. "To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! What could she mean by it? It seems to me to show an abominable of conceited independence, a most country-town indifference to decorum."
"It shows an affection for her sister that is very pleasing," said Bingley. He leaned forward, his right hand braced on the maple table.
Mrs. Hurst seemed to swell in indignation. Miss Bingley looked between her siblings. Now was not the time to start a row, especially about an honored guest who she had invited into her brother's home. In an attempt to draw the conversation to an end, Miss Bingley began her voice pitched in a half whisper, "I am afraid, Miss Darcy, that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes."
Miss Darcy glanced at her friend. Caroline's head was tilted down playfully, her eyes were shining, and her lips were twitched in a delightful smirk. Miss Darcy felt her own lips curl. This Miss Bingley was enchanting. This Miss Bingley she could at times see a marriage alliance with A picture of another pair of fine eyes and saucy grim filled Darcy's mind. That picture felt right. "Not at all," she replied; "they were brightened by the exercise." A short pause followed this speech, and Mrs. Hurst began again:
"I have an excessive regard for Miss Jane Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and I wish with all my heart she were well settled." Mrs. Hurst paused. She glanced briefly at her besotted siblings. God save her from love and lust sick young gentlemen and women. Louisa could see her father's dreams of a future in the cream of the ton disintegrate. She continued, "But with such a father and mother, and such low connections, I am afraid there is no chance of it."
Miss Darcy shifted in her chair. She felt her hair that was pulled into a queue slither against her overcoat. She cleared her throat uncomfortable with a reminder of the inferiority of the Bennet' connections." I think I have heard you say that their uncle is an attorney in Meryton."
"Yes; and they have another, who lives somewhere near Cheapside."
"If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside," cried Bingley, "it would not make them one jot less agreeable."
"But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men or women of any consideration in the world," replied Darcy. Miss Bingley met Miss Darcy's eyes. Miss Bingley, like her brother, did not seem swayed by this reminder. Miss Darcy clenched her fists against her trousers. She looked away. As a woman filling a man's role, she lived a fine line of acceptability. She did no dare step further out of line.
To this speech Bingley made no answer; but Mrs. Hurst gave it her hearty assent, and indulged her mirth for some time at the expense of her dear friend'svulgar relations.
Miss Bingley unwilling to listen to her sister's objections any longer, returned to Jane's room on leaving the dining-parlour. Mrs. Hurst, unwilling to leave Caroline alone with the Bennet's, followed her sister. They conversed with the Bennet's about Meryton society, embroidery, and the fine winter day till summoned to coffee.
Miss Bingley upon leaving, rested her right hand against Jane's flushed cheek. Jane smiled at the obvious gesture of affection from the woman who might one day be her sister. She turned her cheek into the touch. The warmth seeping through Caroline's gloved hand caused Caroline to bit her lip. Fevers could be dangerous, especially far from properly trained London physicians. Caroline felt her sense of duty to her family and Miss Darcy disintegrate. Caroline was pulled back to her present at her sister's impatient command to come. Still Caroline did not move until Jane whispered that she should go.
Elizabeth would not quit her at all, till late in the evening, when she had the comfort of seeing her sleep, and when it seemed to her rather right than pleasant that she should go downstairs herself. On entering the drawing-room she found the whole party at loo, and was immediately invited to join them; but suspecting them to be playing high she declined it, and making her sister the excuse, said she would amuse herself for the short time she could stay below, with a book. Mr. Hurst looked at her with astonishment.
"Do you prefer reading to cards?" said he; "that is rather singular."
"Miss Eliza Bennet," said Mrs. Hurst while studying her hand, "despises cards. She is a great reader, and has no pleasure in anything else."
"I deserve neither such praise nor such censure," cried Elizabeth; "I am not a great reader, and I have pleasure in many things."
"In nursing your sister I am sure you have pleasure," said Bingley smiling at the woman; "and I hope it will be soon increased by seeing her quite well." He glanced back at his hand and frowned. Blast, his hand, was shot again. He threw his cards facedown on the table.
Caroline smiled at the obvious sign of weakness. At this rate he would need to sell his lease to her. Caroline glanced from her brother to Miss Bennet when the woman thanked Charles for his weak attempt to win the woman over. Elizabeth walked towards the table where a few books were lying, her blue skirts swirling around her legs with every step. As Elizabeth trailed her long tanned fingers over the covers, Mr. Bingley immediately offered to fetch her others—all that his library afforded.
"And I wish my collection were larger for your benefit and my own credit; but I am an idle fellow, and though I have not many, I have more than I ever looked into."
Caroline smiled in approval when Elizabeth assured her brother that she could suit herself perfectly with those in the room. Every sign of gentility shown by Jane and Elizabeth gave her hope for the rest of the Bennet family. Surely the youngest if guided in the right direction would one day acquire the same level of acceptability. In order to contribute to the conversation, Miss Bingley said, "I am astonished that my father should have left so small a collection of books. What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Miss Darcy!"
"It ought to be good," she replied, "It has been the work of many generations." Miss Darcy glanced at Bingley to see if he had made his move. Upon seeing the cards abandoned on the table, Darcy placed her own down.
Caroline saw her sister open her mouth to steer the conversation back to a topic that will, no doubt, insult Miss Eliza. Caroline grasped her sister's gloved hands. She squeezed in a silent warning to behave. Caroline smiled and then said, "And then you have added so much to it yourself, you are always buying books."
Miss Darcy pretended not to observe the subtle interplay between the Bingley women. She bowed her head in Caroline's direction. Despite Mrs. Hurst's, she behaved like an upstart merchant's wife far too often. "I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these."
Caroline returned her hands to her lap. "Neglect! I am sure you neglect nothing that can add to the beauties of that noble place. Charles, when you build your house, I wish it may be half as delightful as Pemberley."
Charles smiled at his sister. His mind was full of a possible future with one beauty currently resting in one of his guest rooms. "I wish it may."
Caroline felt a slither of unease when her brother glanced longingly at the door. Jane and Charles. Living blissfully together in Netherfield Park. It would not due to torture herself before the potential union was decided. "But I would really advise you to make your purchase in that neighbourhood, and take Pemberley for a kind of model. There is not a finer county in England than Derbyshire."
Charles Bingley tapped his feet on the hard wood floor. He glanced at his tall, silent friend. "With all my heart; I will buy Pemberley itself if Darcy will sell it."
Caroline threw her cards on the table. She felt a fission of irritation at the broad smile on younger man's face. "I am talking of possibilities, Charles."
Charles leaned back in his chair. The legs of the front rose from the floor. Upon seeing Darcy watching the motion, he slowly lowered the chair back to the proper position. He quickly returned his gaze to his sister. "Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible to get Pemberley by purchase than by imitation."
Caroline rolled her blue eyes. Did Charles always need to seek the easiest path?
Elizabeth was so much caught with what passed, as to leave her very little attention for her book; and soon laying it wholly aside, she drew near the card-table, and stationed herself between Mr. Bingley and his eldest sister, to observe the game.
"Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?" said Miss Bingley once the game once again commenced; "will she be as tall as I am?"
"I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's height, or rather taller." Miss Darcy glanced at the woman. The woman's fine eyes met Darcy's own. The woman arched a brow at Darcy teasingly. Darcy felt a flush rise from her breasts and creep past her cravat. She was relieved when Miss Bingley once again drew the conversation onward:
"How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much. Such a countenance, such manners! And so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on the pianoforte is exquisite."
"It is amazing to me," said Bingley as he threw down some cards, "how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are."
"All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?" Caroline frowned as she saw Charles smile at Elizabeth before continuing his diatribe.
"Yes, all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know anyone who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished."
Darcy threw a few chips into the center of the table. Elizabeth could not help but carefully observe the supple pull of muscles visible through the overcoat. The woman's was very dashing in her suit. "Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said Darcy. She shook her head. "Has too much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse or covering a screen. But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than half-a-dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished."
"Nor I, I am sure," said Miss Bingley. She arched an eyebrow in Charles' direction. Really, the boy was like an overeager puppy.
"Then," observed Elizabeth to Caroline, "you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman." Elizabeth watched as Caroline's gaze broke from her brother.
"Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it." Caroline's mind turned to Jane Bennet. She was the only truly accomplished woman that Caroline knew. She did not even count herself in that tally.
"Oh! certainly," cried her faithful assistant, "no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half-deserved."
"All this she must possess," added Darcy her mind turning to the image of Elizabeth gracefully turning the pages of her book, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."
Elizabeth straightened in her seat. She glanced between the various members of the Netherfield party with wide eyes. "I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any."
Miss Darcy frowned. "Are you so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all this?"
"I never saw such a woman. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe united." Elizabeth dared them to object with her cool gaze.
Mrs. Hurst cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt, and was protesting that they knew many women who answered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward. As all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room.
"Elizabeth Bennet," said Mrs. Hurst, when the door was closed on her, "is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own; and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds. But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art."
"Undoubtedly," replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, "there is a meanness in all the arts which ladies and gentlemen sometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable."
Mrs. Hurst was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject.
Elizabeth joined them again only to say that her sister was worse, and that she could not leave her. Bingley urged Mr. Jones being sent for immediately; while Miss Bingley, convinced that no country advice could be of any service, recommended an express to town for one of the most eminent physicians. This Elizabeth would not hear of; but she was not so unwilling to comply with their brother's proposal; and it was settled that Mr. Jones should be sent for early in the morning, if Miss Bennet were not decidedly better.
Bingley was quite uncomfortable; Mrs. Hurst declared that she were miserable. They solaced their wretchedness, however, by duets after supper. Miss Bingley could find no better relief to his feelings than by giving the housekeeper directions that every attention might be paid to the sick lady and her sister. She spent the entire night pacing her room, dreading the housekeeper would send news of Jane's worsening condition.
